Switch.



S. G. LNGLEY.

SWITCH.

1 APPLICATION FILED DEC. I3, ISIS, Patented De@.3,1918.

f///g/Q d' Z0 u I I za i9 Z] j@ l 2J z f5 jjj j@ J5- i2 l' I if l n'jWZ/ 'Unire sri/mns rntrnnr union,

SAM G. LANGLEY, OF MAPLEWOOD, NEW JERSEY, ASSGNOR TO NEVI JERSEY PATENTCOMPANY, OF WEST ORANGE, NEW JERSEY, A GORPORATIN OF NEW JERSEY.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 3, 1918.

y Original application led June 18, 1912, Serial No. 704,338. Dividedand this application filed December 13,

. 1916. Serial No. 186,781.

To all whom it may concern.'

Be it known that l, SAM G. LANGLEY, a citizen of the United States, anda resident of Maplewood, in the county of Essex and State of New Jersey,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Switches, ofvwhichthe followingis a description.

My invention relates to switches and more particularly to an improvedautomatic switch which is adapted to act as a relay for apparatuscarrying large currents, this application being a division of myapplication Serial No. 704,388, filed June 18, 1912, and entitled Meansfor charging storage batteries.

The principal objects of my invention are to provide a simple andeiiicient switch which shall be very sensitive and yet positive in itsaction, and -a switch of such con# struction that the evil eiects ofchattering, which are liable to occur in alternating current apparatus,are obviated. l

My invention includes also the combinations o-elements and details. ofconstruction hereinafter more fully described and claimed.

For, a clearerunderstanding of my invention, attention is directed tothe accompanyr ing drawing, forming part of this specification, and inwhich lliigure 1 is a side elevation of my improved switch; v

Fig; 2 is a plan viewoi the same; and lFig. 3 is a vertical `View atright angles to the view of Fig. 1, the upper portion being shown insection and the lower portion in elevation, and the contacts being shownin closed position.

Referring to the drawing, reference character 10 represents a supportingmember which may be made of a single pieceo sheet metal and which has ahorizontal portion 11, an upwardly extending vertical portion 13, and ahorizontal portion 14 entending outwardly from the upper end of thevertical portion 13. The supporting memq ber 10 supports the parts ot myimproved automatic switch and may be secured to any suitable base`member 15. it the base member 15 is of conducting material, thesupporting member 10 is preferably insulated therefrom, but if the basemember 15 is .of insulating material, further insulating means are notnecessary in securing the supporting member 10 to the base member 15.

On the horizontal portion 14 of the supporting member 10 a solenoid ismounted, which includes a vertically disposed hollow spool 16 which maybe made of metal and is preferably non-magnetic, and which is secured tothe portion 14 in any suitable manner, as for example, by soldering. Thespool 16 is provided with a high resistance solenoidv winding 17suitably insulated from the spool. In the hollow core of the spool aplunger is provided, the lower portion 18 of which consists of magneticmaterial and is preferably of soft iron, and the upper portion 19 ofwhich consists of non-magnetic material, such as brass or copper,preferably hollowed out to reduce its weight. The upper non magneticvportion of the plunger is provided with a shoulder 20 or other suitablemeans for limiting the downward movement of the plunger, and also with'a vertical slot 22 through which lpasses a pin 21 soldered or 4securedinany other suitable manner to the top of the spool 16 and serving tolimit the upward movement of the plunger. In the operation of thedevice, the pin 21 permits the plunger to rise to a position which issubstantially its position of equilibrium for the normal strength ofcurrent carried by thecoil 17. By having the lower portion of theplunger of soft iron and the upper portion of hollow non-magneticmaterial, the

entire plunger is elevated to the desired position in the solenoidwithout necessitating the use of such an amount of iron as would renderthe plunger unduly heavy, and

greater sensitiveness of operation is thereby attained. The lower end ofthe plunger is provided with a piece of insulating material 23 securedthereto to prevent the plunger from coming into electrical contact withthe metallic member 56 upon which it impinges when it moves into loweredposition.

A plate of insulating material 43 has one end secured to the under sideof the horizontal portion 14 and serves as a support at its other endfor a hollow tube 44, which is made of metal, as for example, brass, andwhich is screw threaded at its lower end into the insulating plate 43.At the upper end ot the tube 44 a plug 47 of insulating material isinserted, through which extends a conlos ducting member 46 screwthreaded'at its upper end and provided with a contact 45 at its lowerend. The upper end of the mem- .v

through the bottom thereof and through the insulatin plate 43 .is anelongated member 52 provi( ed at its upper endwith a contact 51 andscrew threaded at its lower end. A

coiled -spring 59 yencircles the member 52 within the hollow cylinderand is located between a. Shoulder on the upper portion of the member'52k and a shoulder in the lowerV portion ofthe tube 544, thereby tendingto elevate the member 52 and to force contact 51 in to contact with thecontact 45. A bracket 54 is held in place on the insulating plate 43 bythecylinder 44, the lower end of the cylinder beingextended through aportion of the bracket lying on the upper surface of the insulatingplate 43. The bracket 54 is insulated from the horizontal supportingportion 14 by the vinsulating plate .43. The bracket 54is provided withlugs 55, upon which an elongated member 56 of light Weight, which may bemade of fairly stiff sheet metal, is pivotally supported. The member 56has an opening through which the lower end of the member 52 passesloosely, and nuts 53 are provided at the lower end of the member 52 andbeneath the elongated member 56 in such a manner that the elongatedmember 56 is supported in an approximately horizontal position and itsfree end is located immediately beneath the insulating block .23 of theplunger 18. The bracket 54 is provided with a screw and Washer 58 forconnecting a conductor 95 in circuit, the conductor 95 being'in circuitwith the conductor 94. It' will be observed that the bracket 54 is inelectrical connection with the tube 44 and the contact 51.

If for any cause there is a failure of current or abnormal decrease incurrent strength of the coil 17, plunger 18 drops by gravity andimpinges upon the free end of the pivoted-member 56 and separatescontact 51 from Contact 45 against the action of the sprin 59, thetension of the spring 59 and Weig its of the member 56 and the plungerof the solenoid being properly proportioned to produce this result. Theseparation of contacts 51 and 45 causes the circuit through conductors94 and 95 to be broken. When current comes on again or the voltage risesto the required amount in the circuit of the solenoid winding 17, the'core 18 is lifted out of contact with the member56, permitting theclosing of the conalso to secure are obviated. That lportion of thedevicev lincluding' the solenoid winding 17 and the contacts 45 and 51acts as a relay for the circuit of conductors 94 and 95 adapted to carrylarge currents. With my improved sw1tch I am enabled to cmbinesensitivenesswith positiveness of action, and no chattering whateveroccurs.

Having now described my invention, what lunger 18 disconnected I claimand desire to protect by Letters Patent is as follows 1. In apparatus ofthe class described, an insulating plate, a hollow cylinder mounted onone end thereof and vertically disposed, va stationary contact mountedon the upper end of the cylinder and insulated therefrom, an elongatedmember extending through the bottom of the cylinder and the insulatingplate and having in its upper end a contact adapted to co'cperate withthe xed contact, a spring for closing said contacts, a pivoted memberoperatively related to the movable contact-carrying memberso that whenthe free end of the pivoted member is depressed Vthe movable contact isseparated from the lixed contact, a solenoid mounted vertically on saidinsulating plate, and a gravity-actulated plunger for the solenoidlocated to impinge upon the free end of the pivoted member when thecurrent in the solenoid is reduced a predetermined amount, substantiallyas described.

2. In apparatus of the class described, a vertical hollow member, astationary contact mounted thereon, a member movably mounted in saidhollow member and extending therefrom, said movably mounted memberhaving applied thereto a contact adapted to.

coperate with said stationary contact, means for closing said contacts,a pivoted member operatively related to the movable contact carryingmember so that when the free end of the pivoted member is depressed themovable contact is separated from the stationary contact, and a solenoidhaving a gravityactuated plunger located to impinge upon the free'end ofthe pivoted member when the solenoid is denergized, substantially as. described.

3. In apparatus of the class described, a Xed contact, a reciprocatorymember having a contact adapted to coperate with the fixed contact andbiased to contact-closing position, a pivoted member loosely connectedwith said reciprocatory member for moving the same out ofcontact-closing position, a solenoid, and a plunger held free from saidpivoted member when the solenoid is energized but located to impin eupon said pivoted member when the so enoid is denergized to causeseparation of the fixed and movable contacts, substantially asdescribed.

4. In apparatus of the class described, a vertically disposed solenoid,and a plunger therefor having its lower portion of magnetic material andits upper portion of non-magnetic material, said upper portion beinghollow and having means for limiting the downward movement of theplunger, substantially as described.

5. In apparatus of the class described, a

, vertically disposed solenoid, and a plunger ltherefor having its lowerportion of magnetic material and its upper portion of nonmagneticmaterial, said upper portion being hollow and having means for limitingthe WiLLIAM A. HARDY, AnoLPH F. GALL.

